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No. 608,987. Patented Aug. 9, I898. J. W. HYDE.

WHIFFLETREE.

(Application filed May 21, 1897.)

W/TNESSES IN VENTOI? i 87.7% FAW NIIED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. HYDE, OF BANKSTON, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM F. LANVLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

WHIFFLETREE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 608,987, dated August 9, 1898. Application filed May 21, 1897. Serial No. 637,493. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. HYDE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bankston, in the county of Fayette and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Whiffletrees and I-Ioldbacks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The special object of the invention is to make a single or double whiifletree or a breast-holdback entirely of metal, the middle clevis and end hooks being all integral with the bar, while the hooks and bar are reinforced bya front angle-brace bearing with its ends against the backs of the hooks and clamped at the middle to the whiffletree-bar.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan view of the double and single trees connected together, the singletree and breast-tree being constructed alike; Fig. 2, a detail view of the brace-bar, showing the end grooves; Fig. 3, a plan view of the clasp which holds the brace to the whiffletree-b'ar, and Fig. 4 a back view of clasp clamped around bars.

In the drawings, A represents the whittletree-bar, with the rear clevis a in the middle and the end hooks a a all integral with the bar, while the hooks are made of spring metal and drawn out at the ends so as to form an elastic cover for the opening in the form of an obtuse angle, with the end grooves 12 1) adapted to receive the backs of hooks, which are thus braced, as well as the bar A, against the draft strain.

O is the clasp, whose exact form is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the same being provided with the opposite pairs of arms 0 cand o c, which are bent over the middle of bars A B and then bolted or riveted together, as

shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. By this construction I make a very strong, durable, and

inexpensive whiffletree or holdback in as few pieces as possible and wherein there is no possible escape for the trace or breast chains from the hooks.

What I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-- In breast or single trees, the bar A bent rearwardly at the middle to form the clevis a and forwardly bent at the ends to form the trace-hooks a,the said hooks being elongated, made elastic and carried back to rest on or nearly on the said bar A, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. HYDE. Witnesses:

' HOLLAND M. BELL,

WILLIAM F. LAWLEY. 

